Gold Coast plans cruiser terminal

The race is on to secure approval for the Gold Coast’s first cruise ship terminal. A $4.9 billion proposal from Singaporean group Sembawang was lodged days after billionaire property developer
Bob Ell
came up with his own plan.

The two proposals are a response to a desperate need to address cruise ship capacity around Australia, which is reaching critical mass and threatening much-needed tourism.

This month Prime Minister Julia Gillard stepped in to allow a naval base at Garden Island in Sydney to be used as a dock for cruise ships after the possibility was raised that the ships might be forced to moor mid-harbour and ferry passengers to shore.

The number of cruise ship visits to Australia has increased rapidly in the past few years. Arrivals in Sydney jumped from 150 in 2010-11 to 214 in 2011-12. The NSW government forecasts 264 vessels next season.

Last month Gold Coast Mayor
Tom Tate
informed a high-profile group of tourism and property identities that he was determined to have a cruise ship terminal even it if it cost him the next election.

“If they vote me out, I don’t care; we are going to have a cruise ship terminal built," Mr Tate said.

“And I wouldn’t mind a second casino here at the Gold Coast, too."

Sembawang is Singapore’s largest construction firm and has been involved in projects such as the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, regarded as one of the most expensive pieces of casino real estate in the world.

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The company’s Gold Coast proposal, called Wavebreak, is to accommodate two cruise ship terminals, 12 super yacht berths, a 400-berth marina and a trawler centre. The company wants to build tourism facilities including 1500 hotel rooms (from four to six stars), an aquarium, theatre and casino.

Sembawang chief executive Ric Grosvenor said the terminal would allow the Gold Coast and Queensland to better cater for the region’s cruise ship industry.

“The company is well-positioned to deliver Wavebreak and make a significant investment in the Gold Coast and Queensland economies at the same time, at no cost to local or state governments," he said.

Mr Grosvenor expects the development, which is at the northern end of the Gold Coast, could be delivered before the Commonwealth Games are held in Brisbane in 2018.

“It is early days as yet, but we are confident this proposal can tick all the relevant boxes," he said.

Billionaire property developer Bob Ell, who has planned a $200 million cruise ship terminal, waterpark, hotel and casino at the southern end of the Gold Coast, said Sembawang would have some “very big boxes to tick".

“Our project is a simple project and it’s ready to go – it could be started in three months [if approved]," he said. “The Gold Coast definitely needs a cruise ship terminal – the cruise ships bring a lot of tourists and a lot of business."